Ravensblood Forest so the past is not the past

Arturo had risen early to hunt for himself and @Chusi though unlike previous mornings where he left her breakfast just inside the mouth of the den for her when she awoke he roused her from her slumber, told her to eat and coaxed her to the borders with him. Although coaxed wasn't quite the word for it. It had taken barely any convincing on his part. She had been apparently quite eager and Arturo, never one to pass up an opportunity planned to turn it into a lesson. She wanted to be a Mercenary, wanted to protect the ones she loved but being a Warrior was only one half of that. Knowing how to properly address loners and stragglers at their borders was equally as important, as well as keep them maintained.

The pair moved in silence at first, Arturo pausing when they reached the borders, inhaling the scents that were familiar to him. Nothing scented to be amiss, and this was good. Still, he lifted his leg and refreshed it, moving forward a few steps before he kicked up grass and clumps of dirt, knowing that the scent glands in his paw pads were just as effective as urine at marking the borders. “Marking the borders is an important part of being a Guardian, so come on, help me mark them.” He encouraged her kindly with a gesture of his muzzle. “Keep up with me, Chusi.” He encouraged as he pushed forward. “Remember to keep your ears, eyes and nose alert for anything that shouldn't be.” He instructed her, trusting that she would be able to keep up with him. She was rapidly growing and though still small she was taller than she'd been even when he'd first brought her to Teaghlaigh.

In the morning she arose from her slumber, yawning as her ocher eyes slid open and landed upon her caretaker. Her nose twitched eagerly- he had something delicious again! With a silent thanks and some nuzzles, she had done what had been asked and had ate. After she was done, Arturo led her to the part where the scent of them all was the strongest. She sort of knew what they were for, but didn't really know what to do with them. Would Arturo be teaching about that today? She wondered...

She watched as Arturo peed on the invisible lines and tilted her head to the side in confusion. A blush rose to her cheeks until he was done and addressed her again. Alrighty. She said, still a bit confused about it all. She squatted and peed a bit farther away from where Arturo had done it. It was still on the borders, and when she was done she followed Arturo again. She did exactly what she was told, making sure every muscle in her somewhat taller frame was tensed and ready to react to anything that would be thrown their way. Sow we just pee over this 'ere line? She questioned. Well, that was a simple task! 

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It had not occurred to Arturo to use discretion as he marked the border, but then again it wasn't something he ever truly thought of. He was far too old to be bashful about anything anymore. He would be four in the coming spring, after all. He didn't stop to consider that it might make his young ward uncomfortable if only because it was natural and a necessary evil of border marking. “Yes,” The gangster murmured in response to Chusi's question, giving a rough sigh of approval as he heard her mark the border. He kept moving as she added her urine scent to the ones that already made it up, slinking his svelte, leonine body against a trunk of a smaller sequoia, feeling a small tuft of fur pull from him as it tangled in the rough bark and sticky sap. Not all of the trees bled sap — which was a good thing, admittedly — and for a second Arturo fussed over the sticky spot left on his fur, drawing his tongue over it with a swell of vanity.

“Watch for sap if you rub your scent on a tree,” He warned, though it clearly should have been obvious. Especially to him. “but alternative to urinating you can rub your scent on trees, rocks, or kick up dirt and grass. Your paw pads have scent glands in them that are just as effective.” He informed her after he'd cleaned himself up. “Now,” He drew, glimpsing over a broad shoulder at her. “Say a stranger was to approach us. What do we do?” He wanted to hear what her ideas of being a guardian was; how she would go about greeting this hypothetical stranger. Perhaps, he considered, when she got some more experience under her belt he'd have one of Teaghlaigh's wolves or perhaps he could cajole one of the Depth wolves to play the role in a real life simulation of this scenario. Someone that she would take seriously but that he would trust not to harm her or put her in any sort of true danger.

That, however, was a plan for another day.

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She padded behind her caretaker- her long legs able to keep up with his taller frame. She had barely noticed she had gotten taller, but she almost felt the power of muscles growing underneath her skin from all her travelling and practice. That Doe had rejected her for that other, small child was a true mystery; it was obvious that Chusi was far more physically able to do stuff. Then again, she had probably chosen to go with Arturo even if she had been accepted at Blackrock. He was her father figure now, and nothing would keep the ocher eyed child from returning to him and their home. She watched as his fur got stuck, making a face that said "ouch, that must've hurt" but kept silent. She was told to stay alert, and talking distracted her way too much.

And this 'll all help me become a bettah defendah? She asked excitedly. Who knew that just by peeing, rubbing and kicking you were doing well. It was weird in a way. Why try keeping others out? As long as they were nice, why not let them join? Her ears perked at Arturo's question, and she kept quiet for a moment to think. We ask who he 's, what he wants and if he's not gud we scare him away? She questioned carefully. At least, that was how mother had handled it...

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Arturo had felt the give and pull of the fur that had been liberated from his coat by the sap but he was less worried about the pain, brief as it had been, than he was having the residue upon his fur, matting it. Perhaps a bath would be in order later, when he parted ways with his young ward. For now, his attention and time was her's. At Chusi's question Ceannasach deliberated on his answer not wanting to outright tell her that no pissing on the borders wouldn't really make her better at being able to defend them. It did nothing for her skill level, really. Yet, marking borders was just as important as the patrol as being alert, as intercepting strangers. It all tied together in one neat, bow wrapped package. Simply, he had to think of a clever way to make it known to her. “Border marking is more of a political aspect of being a Mercenary,” Arturo finally explained, giving himself a small nod. Yes, that was good. It encouraged her to mark them, and conveyed it's importance. “Borders are typically enough to discourage any stranger from traipsing into our land. If they are in our land without our permission then they are trespassing,” He glimpsed over his shoulder at her again, fixing her in a piercing one eyed stare. “Teaghlaigh does not tolerate trespassers, Chusi. Understand? Their punishment is severe. They will be taken as our prisoners and then their fate will be decided by The Family as a whole.” A vote. Yet, he'd never seen mercy extended towards those who had trespassed. To date the verdict passed down had always been the same: death.

Arturo's brows furrowed for a moment as she gave her explanation as to what she thought a guardian did. Most of it was right. He wasn't overly sure how to determine if one was “good” or not. Teaghlaigh's joining process was not as straight forward as the typical pack's. It took more than an initial meeting with the Red Herring or Ceannasach himself to allow them into The Family. They had to prove their worth, prove that they wanted to be apart of The Family. It was a process but any willing to trudge through it was obviously worthy of Teaghlaigh. “Mostly right,” He concurred, gathering his thoughts for a moment. “You ask who they are, ask them their purpose, yes. We'll pretend that this wolf isn't from Blackrock Depths and isn't Kitku,” the latter of which Arturo had invited to visit him (and Chusi) whenever she so wished and the standing alliance with Blackrock Depths was always an open invitation. These things, Chusi already knew. “What do you do if he, say...asks for information about Teaghlaigh?” He inquired, eager to see how much attention to him she'd paid.

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She followed almost silently, her back legs moving rapidly every now and then. It was easier than peeing the whole time- plus, it made it easier for her to see where precisely the border was. She listened with eyes upon what was beyond the border, looking for any movement that would indicate the presence of another wolf. Her tail swayed happily behind her and she sped up her pace, wanting to walk beside Arturo for once. The tips of her ears were around the height of her neck, and it became easier and easier for her to keep up. Well, if it helps Teaghlaigh imma do it! She let out elated. She looked at him as the subject changed into something more serious. I understand. but wha' will we do to 'em? She questioned. No one had taught her about life or death, birth or love. She was behind on that kind of education.

The way Chusi judged was the way of a child. If a stranger was nice, she would be nice too. It was naive in a way, she knew herself, but it was so much easier to act nice. Even with her dreams of becoming a fighter she would never hurt the innocent- unless Teaghlaigh wanted it of her. Se smiled, though frowned when she realized not everything was right. Shoot! She had been so sure of this one too. We lie 'r say nuthin'. She said after some thinking. Zephyr had told her to lie to strangers many times to prevent her getting stolen again- wow, that had worked out so well. Chusi was a horrible liar though. 

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“Good, good,” Arturo murmured visibly pleased as her willingness to submit herself so wholly to the cause of Teaghlaigh. It was the revolving door that fed the fact that The Family took care of it's own. Ceannasach spared her a glimpse, looking down at her as she joined him at his side, contemplating how to word it. He wasn't sure which of them (him or Duana) had the hard conversations with their children — of life and death. Arturo did bad things in his life, had killed his fair share. He was the jury, the judge and the executioner. It was a burden of the Ceannasach. Yet, this had begun long before he'd named himself a king with a crown of thorns. He had made his first kill when he was still young, not even a year of age. Looking at Chusi, so full of naivety and innocence — as his own children had been — and he pondered if he should have felt regret. He didn't. “I've only ever seen the verdict pass as death. The option for mercy is there but a prisoner is a waste of valuable resources that could be better used on the elderly, sick, or the children.” He was not aware what she did or did not know on the subject and thus the gangster lapsed into a contemplative silence, studying her out of the corner of his eye.

Lie? Where did she get that from, Arturo wondered, because he doubted it was Kitku or the peaceful Donnelaith wolves. “I don't expect anyone to lie,” Technically, while highly deceptive his Red Herring was only a twist of the truth, necessary to protect The Family. “You give vague answers, don't give away anything that would compromise The Family and if you aren't certain about what you could say or are uncomfortable you call for me.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out. “What if a Blackrock Depths wolf comes to our borders? Do you remember what I said about them?” He inquired.

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Her face lit up at the praising words and looks Arturo gave her. There was nothing more encouraging than being right and impressing the ones she cared for. For Szymon she would've even accepted being thrown into the sea to see if the waves would return her alive- and no one loved Darky as much as she did. Not even Doe! Darky didn't have to talk to be enjoying to be around, Darky had something special- and with it came an equally special place in the young one's heart. She turned her attention back to Arturo, confused by one certain word she hadn't heard before. Death? The word felt heavy on her tongue for some reason. But it sounded very light, almost beautiful in a way.

Owh... She let out disappointed. Her spirit soon rose as Arturo continued though. "Isn't bein' vague partly lying?" She questioned. It was like, not revealing the truth instead of twisting it. Either way the person to be lied to or talked vaguely to would not know the truth. At least, not the full truth. She though hard about what he said next, finally remembering what he had said. They 're welcome 'cause ya and Skellige have an... The word was lost for a moment before it jumped back into her head. Alliance?

aw, chusi's so cute in your avatar. *snuggles her* i...actually looked up how a parent should explain death to a child for this >___>

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Despite that Arturo would be four in the coming spring, despite that he had quite a good grasp on death and what it was, he struggled to find a way to explain it to her. He could not remember if he'd ever actually explained it to his own children or if he'd just let it to them to figure out on their own (it was probably the former). In all fairness, Arturo could not remember Boadicea ever explaining it to him. “Death is...,” He paused and drew in a contemplative breath, trying to compile his knowledge of it and put it into terms that she would best understand. “When someone dies they stop breathing, they stop eating, they stop feeling. They stop living,” He contemplated telling her that the breakfast he brought her was dead but he didn't know how she'd react to the subject and didn't want to scare her from eating. So, Arturo was careful. “There is no coming back from it. It is the most final thing in this world.” He explained softly.

Their conversation shifted back to the guardian trade and Arturo felt an undeniable rush of relief. “I don't think so,” Arturo offered his belief in response to her question. “When you're vague your withholding information. Not making things up as you do when you lie. See the difference?” He took a moment's pause, contemplating an example he could use to help her understand. “Say this stranger asks 'what is your pack like?'. You could tell him: we're very tight knit or we're very territorial. A simple, vague explanation, right? You're telling the truth but you're not giving away anything, in reality. More than anything you're telling him things that are already fact. That's all you have to do.” His tone asked: simple, right?

“That's right,” He praised when she responded about Skellige and his alliance. “Good.” The gangster hummed, pleased that Chusi had, indeed, been paying attention to him.

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ikr- I love it so much XD and omg, sorry that Chusi wants to know everything :p

Her ears perked slightly as even Arturo seemed to struggle with what this death thing was. As he spoke, her ocher eyes sparkled brightly as if she were smiling even though her grin faded. Death sounded so... final and peaceful. If she had known that the food she ate had experienced it, she'd have refrained from eating meat even though it would end up with her dying too. She blinked, wondering if Arturo or her would die soon. She hoped not. When dow we die? How dow we die? Her second question was said in a whisper, too afraid to ask it out loud. The thought of death scared her for if she died, she'd not be able to defend her friends. Little did she know that her friends were the ones to die first if time ruled it all. Who knew, perhaps she'd be killed...

I guess sow... She said, eyes shifting from her masked friend to the ground as she rubbed her scent on a tree where the red sap only seeped out high above where she could reach. I think ah'll be able to dow tha'... She said, a little more chipper. Perhaps borderwalking wasn't her favorite task now, but perhaps if she were bigger and more loners would show up she'd enjoy it. For now she did it because she was needed to do so. It was a weird training though. She grinned at the pleased sound of Arturo's voice- finally a question she had gotten right. And mah big sis' can visit too, right? She asked.

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Chusi accepted his explanation of death of which Arturo was grateful for. It had been surprisingly hard to simplify death as he knew it to better help her understand it's meaning and that it was final. Yet, her grasp upon it brought forward new questions — and ones that he wasn't feeling any more inclined to answer. The how and when. There were more answers for the first question then he could count and though it was only Chusi's second question that he truly did not have an answer for he spoke simply: “I don't know Chusi. Nobody knows.” He admitted to her as they continued forward with marking the borders. Death was one of those mysteries of life that Arturo did not spend much time contemplating. He had too much living to do to be preoccupied by it.

“We can practice,” He assured her, though he knew that not every case would be the same. In fact, he would be that any time she intercepted a new wolf at the borders it would be unique and different. All he could do was ensure that she was as prepared as she was ever going to be. Her last question brought his ears forward in contemplation as he tried to puzzle out who Chusi called “big sis” before it dawned on him that she spoke of Lotte. Unbidden, his memory of his last encounter with the beautiful mummer came to the forefront of his mind. He had already told Chusi that Lotte was welcomed to visit any time she wished but he supposed she'd forgotten in her excitement of things. “Of course,” Arturo murmured with a soft smile tugging at the edges of his lips. “She is welcome to visit anytime she wishes.” Of that there had never been any question.

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She frowned in confusion. Death sounded so simple before, and yet her other questions didn't have answers. There was one other burning her tongue, but she dared not to voice it. It sounded dark and wrong, and yet it sparked a flame in her young warrior's heart. Bu' if noh one knows, how dow we know we die? She questioned- not afraid to ask a thousand more if that was what it took to understand this final thing of life. How dow we kihll? She questioned softly, her voice again but a whisper. It sounded so dangerous- so bad that she just had to know. Of course she wouldn't go out killing others without a motive, but it would still be so exciting to know...

Alrigh' She responded, chipper again despite the grim subject they had been talking about. Chusi was quick to change moods, and that would only worsen the closer she got to being 1 year. She rather looked forward to doing borderwork now- it aloud her to meet new wolves, make new friends possible and protect the pack all together! But if she had to chose between training fighting or walking the borders, she'd go for fighting, of course. 

Her question had been only for clarification- she knew vaguely that Arturo had said Lotte could come. She grinned brightly at him, happy that he had taken her under his wing. It was an honor to be here, she found. She peed against one of the trees again, wondering if they had gone over the whole line yet.

wrap up with your post (so we can have another very soon?!)? <3

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The words I don't know bubbled to the gangster's lips but he did not allow them to pass from betwixt them. Instead he drew in a deep breath. Her questions were heavy, progressive in her curiosity of a subject that no one truly understood. Arturo didn't have the answers she sought. He'd never died before. Perhaps for a brief time in Riptide's clutches he might have considered that he had (and had in fact gone to hell) but it was obvious that such wasn't the case. “I've never died Chusi, so I can't say,” He explained to her gently, patiently. “but the living know.” That was all he knew and thus all he was able to offer her. Her next question was much easier to answer and the gangster knew that he could not shield it from her forever — especially since she desired to be a warrior — but he hoped to shield her from it for just a while longer. He assumed it was his place as her Guardian. “Someday, I will tell you how to kill. Perhaps I will even show you,” He'd done it plenty of times to be able to make the demonstration. “but not today.” not for a long while. Arturo pulled ahead of her to mark a barer spot of the borders, wondering if she had questioned herself out or if she would conjure more.

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Yes please! I love these two together! :DDDDD

It was good that Arturo had never died before, Chusi found. Without Arturo, she had little to nothing. He was her caretaker after all- her dad in a way. Even Big Sister had said so- and she was like an all-knowing being. She frowned. So the living knew they would die, yet the ones dead did not know they were dead? This all confused the child's head, messed her up a bit even. 

She was excited to hear Arturo would teach her more, someday, yet still something bugged her. She suddenly stopped with walking, pressing her forehead on Arturo's shoulder. Dun't die... She whispered loud enough to be heard.

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When Chusi had ceased to move beside him, drawing to a sudden stop Arturo followed suit, eyes scanning the landscape outside their borders, alert only to be soothed the moment he felt her press her forehead to his shoulder. He looked down at her from the corner of his eye, canting his muzzle towards her as her whispered plea lifted to his ears. “Don't you worry about such things Chusi,” Arturo spoke to assure her. “I'm not going to die any time soon.” He spoke with firm conviction, knowing his words to be true as he spoke them. Granted, nothing in life was a guarantee but he did not fancy the idea of her fretting over something that was so wholly out of her control and simply apart of nature. “Come on, lets keep marking the borders and you can tell me a story.” He encouraged, shifting so that he could nudge his muzzle against hers, offering her a rare, albeit genuine smile before they began their patrol where the pair had left off.

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